Nancy Eshelman: Something's very, very wrong with downtown Harrisburg

Harrisburg was desperately sick. Someone reasoned that if the downtown could be transformed into a safe place that offered dining and beverages, people would stay after work. They might even drive in town specifically to enjoy dining and friends.

Eateries opened on Second Street. Someone dubbed it “Restaurant Row.” People would join their spouses or friends for a drink and a meal.

But the transformation evolved. If people would stay until 8 or 9 p.m., why not lure a later crowd? Before long, clubs opened to cater to the younger crowd.

Instead of offering a relaxing time to socialize with friends, they held out the promise of getting blitzed, blotto. Advertising played up the appeal of getting hammered. Clubs offered one price “all you can drink” nights, bar crawls.

If you’ve never sat on Second Street at 2 a.m., you should. People stagger in the streets, puke in the curbs, urinate in the alleyways, shout and fight. Police show a strong presence, but are greatly outnumbered by hordes of inebriated revelers, many of whom are headed to the conveniently located parking garage to drive home.

It takes little imagination to envision what a few guns in the hands of these people can add to the mix.

If you think about it, it’s no leap to learn the people who were shot were under 21. Sophisticated machines might be able to determine if an ID is forged, but who’s to say the ID belongs to the person entering the club?

Anyone under 21 who’s determined can borrow an ID, steal an ID or pay to use an older friend’s ID. It happens every night.

I’m not judging, and I’m not claiming that every person under the age of 30 drinks with the intention of getting drunk. But a lot of them do.

And why not? We’ve fostered a society where we send kids off to college with a wink and a nod knowing that a good portion of them will do more drinking than studying. We’ve fostered a society where it’s necessary to post billboards reminding parents that if they host underage drinking parties, they are violating the law.

We offer our young people the all-American version of the Amish Rumspringa.

While Mom and Dad are blowing into a machine to buy a bottle of wine, the kids stagger around fraternity parties chugging from a keg or head downtown for $2 pints, 25 cent drinks and four-hour happy hours.

Something’s very, very wrong on Second Street.

The vision of a trendy spot where folks could relax after work with dinner, drinks and background music has blurred into a nightmare of debauchery and thumping, blasting music that assaults the ears a block away.

I understand the club owners’ motivation is money. I understand the young folk’s motivation is fun, although waking the next day can’t be enjoyable for a lot of them.

Meanwhile, the rest of us won’t pay much attention until the next time someone is shot. But if you can’t sleep some night and want an eye-opener, park on Second Street at 2 a.m.

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